Percussion-shell.



P. FABIANI & C. AGNELLI.

PERCUSSION SHELL.

- APPLICATION FILED APR. 21, I913.

Patented Dec. 5,1916.

t 2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

WITNESSES" v INVEN'LQRS" W my ' IQ/%ORNEY' FABIANI & C. AGNELLI.

PERCUSSION SHELL.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 2|. 1913.

Patented .Dec. 5, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2 WKTNESSES ATTORNEY the bomb Feels-m sem'ce eiio seemfiigiplica'lion filerl April 21, 1913.

To all whom 2'5 may comem Be it known thai we, PIETRO liusmm and {limoAGNELLI, both subjects of the King of Ltaly, resiclin it Genoa, Italy,respeclively, have invented certain new and useful Improvement-s inPercussion-Shells, of which following is :1 specification. ThisIlnVGillJlOZl relates t0 percussion bombs and more pssticulsrly to thosewhich are in tended. to be eroppeel from an aerial muchine when steadyor in flight.

The invention also relates to bombs which only hues-t a cert-21indistance has covered in passage through the ail, d which "nursesimmelisiely 0 impact before sinking u necishly into the ground, and oflz' 1 which during flight; after has acquire certain speed, the 121 isbrought from its safety posii iiito with s ock and keeps such positionuntil impact explodes the bomb,

she eoseiupenyiug ell-swings illustrate 1 -ree clifierenlz'forms cfbombs constructed sccorilieg "so me invention.

1n the drawings, igure l session ofpai l -33. 2 and Sill s 1 is slongilu- L 11 sure exeireeeees acts u'aosnencl 1 ss which iii lee-tum,i-llfcilf'h if, lifts ring 6 li'lil releases me spring" 7 W l s presidedwith teeth 3'? engaging s pending holes iiilhe members of is telescopicimpact 121'snsmi z'tiug device in s to hold eogei-her, whereupon the helesco ie specttrsusmwmug (levies 8 driven by e spring 9 will errteiiel10 full length, i s members being arreslaeel in any known manner such asfor example, by teeeji 10 and prevented from collaps i; hy teeth 10arranged on spsings W31 ch teeth extend through she holes in aelescopicmembers when the latbex" are ex- J-he primer Without of bombs.

Specifies-lion of Letters Patent.

'oel aft :1

vin (liameler' thah M112- Seriel Ho. 61,, e

tended ancl thus prevent imam again J8 heslidiug intoone auolhei', theing held stif'rly. The lower end I est of these telescopic memheisssrily be the part first coming with the target owing to the-ecuparachute devices and of the W ted immediately behind the '(lisl shownin Fig. 6, the hammer merrier the rod 8 are separate and have 28'arranged beiween the ewe per-Ls M bi abutting ends. As the bomb falls33055 member arises as far as it can, P ml fingers 13 thereon areWithdrawn he hetween the blades of the screw prose which is left free toream u? ence of air. The rotation of causes he rolsticu oi"? the she. itis mounted. -'lhe shaft 15 w end-is formed wish a. screw share isarranged a nut with four small rods 1 throughholes in s fixed clis llmi'ying the primer 20. The Tools 18 hes? against athe ring 21, of thereel 22, Whichl tel e211 "ies a cleteuator and. a- Si]? eniug primer 2%and in the safety iieh iew on the end of Jae s is,

keep the Owing 0 the rotation 0 uhd.

slaility of sin- 1.

l9 inside il 2 drive by the small reels 18 H1 11 them, until he firingpin comes Finis $0; with the primer Wirhhcut shock "eh without causingigniticn. Us reach u ground or usher object lows? psi the 380d ei'lahelike 8 Wit 1 the she or with any oher suitable members.

bomb itself. receive the impact and shock transmitted to the 1305i 22'l'oicius he pin against the primer 20, the

which will cause she s breiigtheiqii to ignite ereh v' ezi' zlcele lzhe(i65 (meter 23.

If gbhe hem-h, when the strikes, the wires 21 lzhe rod 8 le 1 iiieusei;occurs,-

' when the parachutes are arranged within the tube 3. To allow saidparachute devices to emerge from the tube 8 when the bomb passes throughthe air, they must be released from the hooks of the springs 29 beforethe bomb is dropped which hooks engage the holes pr vided in theoutermost parachute. This'is effected by pressing the parachutes 1inward by hand against the spring 2, consequently the. springs 29 whichtend tospring out take up the position as shown in Fig. '10, whereby bymeans of the spring 2 and the air pressure the parachutes 1 are expelledout of the-tube 3 when the bomb is dropped.

Referring to Fig. 6, the bomb is,constructed on the same principles.During the.

passage of the bomb through the air the pressure of the air on theparachute devices will caise the cross member 4 to rise therebyreleasing the springs 38, which tend to spring out, and clearing apassage for the shaft 31. The air pressure can then lift, against theaction of a spring '32, a surface plate 30 which is fastened to thesafetyv shaft 31. With the shaft 31, the plate 17 and the rods 18 alsorise, aided by the pressure or" the hammer rod 22 driven by the spring26 and by the air pressure upon the disk 11, until the rear of thehammer carrying the firing pinwill be gradually carried into contactwith the primer 20, whereon it will exert a pressure which will increasewith the speed of the bomb, so that the greater the speed of the bomb,the greater also the pressure exerted on the primer, and therefore themore sensitive will the action be on the impact.

Another mode of construction is shown in Fig. 7, according to which thegradual rise of the hammer rod .22 is brought about by air pressureincidental to the passage of the bomb through the air acting upon thesurface 34 fitted to the pin 35, whichis shown in Fig. 7, as a singlepiece and in loose contact with the hammer rod 22, but which may also beformed, if desired, of several telescopic members, operatingashereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 1. 6 and 8, with theonly exception that the spring 26. instead of exerting a pressure on theprimer, will exert a pressure on the pin in the opposite direction tothe air pressure on the surface member 3a, the pin and the hammer beingthereby caused to rise gradually.

In each construction described the impact transmitting rod or the likeis carried through a ring connected with the nose of the bomb by meansof slender flexible rods which are easily bent before the rod breaks.

In each of the three constructions referred to, it will be understood,that if desired, the primer and the firing pin may interchangetheirrespective positions.

1. Anaerial percussion shell comprising 30 in combination, a hammer,primer and shock receiver, a parachute device, and means coactiug withsaid shock receiver and para chute device for allowing said hammer andprimer gradually to come into contact durg5 in combination, a hammer, aprimer, parachute devices, and means coacting with said parachutedevices for allowing said. hammer and primer to gradually come intocontact' during the descent of the shell and t keep such position untilimpact explodes the bomb.

3. An aerial percussion shell comprising in combination, a hammer, aprimer, parachute devices, and means coacting with said parachutedevices for allowing said hammer and, primer to gradually "ome intocontact during the descent of the shell, and means for locking themechanism by means of which the hammer is gradually brought into contactwith the primer, said locking means being adapted to be withdrawn by theaction of said,parachutes during the flight of the bomb, substantiallyas described.

4. An aerial percussion shell comprising in combination, a hammer, aprimer, para chute device, a shock receiver, and a mean arranged withinthe rear portion of the shell adapted to allow by its outward movemm t.the hammer to gra dually approach the p vi 1' her and come into contactwith it, said means comprising a rod and retaining springs {or normallyholding said rod immovable, said springs being released by the pressureof air upon the parachute device.

An aerial percussion shell comprising in combination, a hammer. aprimer. a parachute dcvice. a shock receiver, and means arranged withinthe rear portion of the shell adapted to allow by its outward movement.the hammer to gradually approach thrprimer and come into contact withit. said means comprising a rod. retaining springs for normally holdingsaid rod imumvablc,v said springs being released by pressure of air uponthe parachute device, and a ring, a

cross member on said ring operated by the side the bomb, and beingadzwted to assume pressure of the air upon the parachute dean inclinedposition relative to the axis of the vices for isiing said ring and forreleasing bomb without losing contact with the upper said retainingsprings, substantially as demember 01"- the transmitting device so thatat 5 scribed. the former is able to transmit the impact 6. In apercussion shell of the character before breaking, when the direction ofthe described, a sliding impact transmitting de' impact is not axial,the said outer part be- Vice. formed in two. parts, a strengthening ingtelescopic and being adapted to extend primer and a detonator, a firingpin upon mechanically, for instance by means of a 35 10 one of saidparts within the shell, the second spring upon the release of aretaining depart being in contactwith the first part and Vice operatedby the air pressure exerted on extending outside of the shell and beingthe parachute devices. capable of a suitable amount of swivel mo- 8. Apercussion bomb of the character detion for taking up an inclinedposition relascribed comprising in combination, a 'ham- 15 tive to thefirst part While preservingits mer,'primer, shock receiver and parachutecontact with the latterand thus transmitting devices, said parachutedevices constituted the impact before breaking when the direcby a set or-surfaces acting upon the air on tion of the impact is not axial to thebomb, the side of their convex'part instead of on a dish on said secondpart of a diameter not that of their concave part. 45

29 less than that of the bomb, said diameter be- In testimony whereof weatiiii our signaing determined by the resistance of the obtures inpresence of two witnesses. jective. PXETRO FABIANI.

T. in a percussion shell of the character CARLO AGNELLI, described, incombination parachute-devices, Witnesses:

a bi-partite sliding impact transmitting de- P10 NINSLDINI,

vice, one portion of Which being located. out- A. BORAGINA.

or this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing theGommissioner of Emerita,

. Washington, D. C.

